obama's comments on syria and the fiscal cliff made headlines. it's another abc news exclusive. later, the advantages of inhaling rather than chewing. you're watching "world news now." ching "world news now." i'm done! "are you a cool mom?" i'm gonna find out. [ female announcer ] swiffer wetjet's pads are better than ever. now they have the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser so you don't have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub away tough, dried-on stains. hey, do you guys think i'm "momtacular" or "momtrocious"? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. now with the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser.

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♪ a significant announcement from president obama during an exclusive interview with our very open barbara walters. >> the president said his administration now formally recognizes a newly formed coalition of syrian rebels. that is significant. the rebels for fighting to topple syria's president. here's her report. >> i would like to talk about syria. do you plan to recognize the opposition and give them some legitimacy? >> we made a decision that the syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the syrian people in opposition to the assad regime and so we will provide them recognition and

obviously with that recognition comes responsibilities on the part of that coalition. >> that's a big step. >> it is a big step. there is a small element of the -- of those who oppose the assad regime that are, in fact, affiliated with al qaeda in iraq. and we have designated them as a terrorist organization. and we are going to make clear to distinguish between those elements of the opposition. >> with the president recognizing the syrian opposition as the legitimate authority this that country, many are asking what this may mean in terms of u.s. involvement. but senior administration officials said there's still no plans to arm this group. yet the government hasn't ruled it out. the other issue on the forefront on the president's mind, the u.s. economy and that pending fiscal cliff. are we going to go over the fiscal cliff? >> you know, i remain optimistic

that there are enough people of good will in this town that recognize our economy will be much better off, american families will be much better off if we get this done. the most important thing we can do is make sure middle class taxes don't go up on january 1. and i'm pretty confident that republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to try to protect tax cuts for high income individuals. >> prediction, are you going to be able to raise taxes, yes or no? >> taxes are going to go up one way or another. and i think the key is to make sure that taxes go up on the high end individuals like you and me, barbara. we can afford it. it is entirely possible for us to come up with a deal, but time is running short. >> how about this analysis. the obama administration wants to send a clear message that while it supports syria's coalition opposition, to lead syria's democratic transition when the assad regime falls, there is no place for extremism in the country's future.

so you see these parallel actions. recognizing the opposition formally but at the same time labeling certain parts of it as, you know, terrorists. so that's an important distinction there. and all eyes are glued to whether chemical weapons will be used or not. >> as you can allude to, they're opening the door for that possibility down the road. but responsibly. >> and we should point out that the full interview with president obama and the first lady will air on friday on "20/20" and "nightline." a cool tradition that barbara gets to sit down in the white house during the holidays and talk to both. certainly no shortage of topics as 2012 winds down. >> but yet the platform is not like she gets extended time for it. "20/20" is still the same amount of time, even though topics are -- >> we'll be back. stay with us.

well, this is big. there's a potential breakthrough for millions of people suffering with depression. >> it's not a pill. it's actually an iv treatment and patients who tested it are showing remarkable progress. abc's chief health and medical editor dr. richard besser has more. >> reporter: a lifetime of depression. lifting in just a few minutes. dennis, suffering for years, had tried pretty much every antidepressant on the market. no response. have you tried treatments? >> they've never helped me at all. >> reporter: but at the national institutes for health, they're trying out a whole new class of antidepressant, drugs that may offer a new path to fighting depression, fast. a couple hours? >> yes, that's all it takes. we can achieve the same thing in a few hours. >> reporter: typical antidepressants target

serotonin. a chemical that controls happiness. but you can't tell if it's working for four to six weeks. but this is working in a different way, working on neurons that control mood. they seem to show results within hours. for dennis, it's been a glimpse of a whole new life. >> i can get up in the morning, return calls, do the things that people do without impairment. it doesn't feel like i have to fight in order to do those routine tasks. >> reporter: it's important to note that these drugs are only available in clinical trials, so dennis has made video recordings, so he can watch the videos, see himself happy and give himself hope. dr. richard besser, abc news, washington. >> fantastic news. and it's a light drug, called azd 6765. >> remember that. >> memorize it, everybody. >> sometimes these antidepressants take weeks to kick in.

if you're depressed, you have to imagine the suicide potential is high. so the weeks it takes to kick in, you know, that's important. that's a lag time where bad stuff could happen. so this is encouraging news for a lot of people who suffer with this. >> a lot of people wait until it's too late. so this could be great. >> certainly good news. we will lighten the mood when we come back. keep it right here on "world news now."

♪ it's no secret that we like to eat around here. particularly one of us. so this next story is one that we're a little perplexed by. >> you like to eat. i actually like to inhale my food because i eat it so quick. but it's a growing trend that

lets people inhale their food in a good way. >> reporter: attention foodies. put down your forks. >> i know that taste. >> reporter: the latest culinary craze doesn't involve food at all. >> for me, it's like going into a steam room. >> reporter: take a whiff. a high tech kitchen gadget that uses ultrasound waves to turn any flavor into a vapor, landing on your taste buds, not your waistline. >> dessert without the calories. >> reporter: the waft is sweeping europe and soon to be on our shores. at juniper kitchen restaurant in ontario, he creates a revolutionary eating experience. show us how it's done. >> since you said you like mint chocolate chips, we're going to do that.

so just straight, raw ingredients. mint and cocoa mint, put these together, a little syrup. a little chocolate. we're going to strain all that out. let's see what happens. there's the straw. >> reporter: it's like an ice cream cloud. with endless flavor combinations, he can turn any meal into a culinary quiz show. let's see if you can trip me up. >> this one might stump you. >> cherry? >> no. >> reporter: raspberry. >> that's it. >> reporter: round two, here we go. >> classic cocktail. you almost got it. >> reporter: is this a mojito? >> yes, it is.

>> reporter: and i'm cuban and it took me that long to get that one. >> our hold friend tonya rivero. i still got to chew. i don't know about you. >> i don't know if he makes a potato chip vapor. >> i'm still going for it, though. >> you can still inhale those. >> that's how charlie sheen eats.

this morning on "world news now," holiday horror at the mall. a gunman opens fire on crowds of christmas shoppers in a portland, oregon, suburb, where mall santa drops to his knees to stay safe. >> three people, including the gunman, are now dead and stunned survivors are left asking why? it is wednesday, december 12th. from abc news, this is "world news now."

>> good morning, everyone. i'm paula faris. >> on this 12-12-12. interesting date. the last time we'll see a day like this for 88 years, until january 1st, 2101. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. serious news to get to this morning. holiday festivities turned to bloodshed and fear when that masked man went on a shooting rampage. also this morning, north korea makes a bold military move, launching a long-range ballistic missile. what that means for the u.s. and for the rest of the world. it's really taking the united states government by surprise, too. and hair ye, hair ye, a burglary suspect's bizarre behavior make for an interesting day in a south florida courtroom. later, prosecutors really want to throw the book now at, wait for it, yeah, lindsay lohan.

the punishment she could now face. that is coming up in "the skinny." if she made half as many headlines for her acting than her legal trouble, she'd be in a much better spot. this time prosecutors are fed up. they are looking to take drastic action. so see how that plays out. >> i think she's on her second round of nine lives. authorities say they have tentatively identified that gunman who walked into a shopping mall in portland, oregon, and opened fires on thousands of holiday shoppers. >> police are not releasing the name of the man who killed two people before taking his own life. we get more now from abc's david wright. >> reporter: it was just before 3:30 when shoppers at this portland mall heard shots ring out and people started running for the exits. >> we heard a big bang. we covered our ears and got down and five seconds later we heard rapid fire, bang, bang, bang.

>> we heard like a balloon or something. >> we thought it was a balloon. >> all of a sudden we heard six or seven more shots and realized it was a gun and everybody just -- their faces went into panic and started running and screaming. >> reporter: witnesses described a man with a semi automatic weapon wearing camouflaged clothing, possibly body armor and a mask. some were locked inside the mall as the events unfolding, described the series of events, including the mall santa claus dropping to his knees. >> we are actually currently locked inside of a store in the mall with about ten people. and s.w.a.t. teams are currently going around the mall trying to apprehend the suspect. i saw two. >> you saw two people shot? >> uh-huh. >> how serious? >> we had to bring sheets out of our back room for them.

>> it didn't look like they made it? >> no. >> reporter: one photo showed shattered glass in the aftermath. police have confirmed three dead, including the gunman. >> i can confirm that we believe at this point there was one and only one shooter involved and that shooter is deceased. >> reporter: police say the crime scene has calmed down considerably, but no indication who this gunman might be or what his possible motives might be or even his m.o. was he shooting randomly or targeted individuals? one thing to underscore here, this is the holiday shopping season across the country and this is sure to send shockwaves across america as people absorb yet another shooting rampage. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> as david just said, this is the latest in a string of multiple shootings, including the aurora, colorado, movie massacre shooting and the sikh temple and the day spa shootings

in wisconsin and right now as we speak, gun sales are set issing records in america. almost 16.5 million background checks were done last year. less than one half of 1% were denied. this country has almost 130,000 federally licensed firearms dealers. more places in america to buy guns than to get gas, groceries or a big mac at mcdonald's. on top of that, almost 48,000 people in america were murdered with guns between 2006 and 2010. that's a lot of numbers. listen to this one. according to the atf, in 2010, there were 5.4 million new firearms manufactured in the u.s. nearly all for the u.s. market and this year 3.2 million were imported to the u.s., nearly 8.5 million new firearms on the streets of america in one year. think about that. >> and if you think about how many people were denied, 16.4 million background checks you mentioned last year, and just 0.48% denied. so it's just a matter of whether

or not what side of the aisle you stand on in terms of gown control. just keeping it out of the wrong hands. there's a lot of people that are responsible gun owners. >> the other side is the gun lobby in this country is very powerful. and neither side has the political will to tackle an issue despite all these massacres. we see the news. we get outraged for a day and it goes back to normal until the next time. that's -- this is a gun-loving country but we pay the price for it. the other side says it's not guns that kill people, it's people that kill people. the gun control debate rages on. but you look at stuff like this, it's hard to swallow. >> you wonder if they didn't have a gun if they would use another weapon. >> who knows? a brazen act of defiance by north korea, which has pulled off the test of a long-range ballistic missile. that rocket was fired today,

flying in the direction of the philippines. the white house called it provocative. the successful test firing follows four failures and the u.s. and other countries have to deal with a north korea that could be a big step closer to being able to launch a missile loaded with a nuclear weapon. experts say they have a long way to go before they can threaten neighboring countries and perhaps one day the west coast of the united states and they have yet to develop a warhead to fit atop that missile. but they're making significant progress. >> if it got to the stage it can reach los angeles. that's the significance for us. and we're just five days away from when kim jong-il passed away. so there's a symbolic importance for them doing this now. so this is the furthest they've gotten. so we have to keep an eye the closer they get. they have clearly made progress. in other news this morning,

and to capitol hill, the slow progress being made toward a fiscal compromise in this country that would avoid tax hikes for all of us come next year. president obama and house speaker john boehner spoke about the stalemate by phone last night. mr. obama has cut his demand for new revenue from tax hikes but continues to insist on higher taxes for the wealthy. boehner's counter offer was almost what republicans have been offering all along, $800 billion in tax revenues, none of them generated by higher tax rates. that stalemate is causing irritation for the senate female members. starting in january, there will be 20 of them, a new record. and they told diane sawyer if they were in charge, well, a deal would already be done. >> what i find is with all due deference to our male colleagues that women's styles tend to be more collaborative.

>> i think by nature, we are less confrontational and more collaborative. and having us in the room, and i think all of us, not only do we want to work in a bipartisan way, we do it. >> certainly a turning point now for the senate in the chamber next year. it will be the first-ever females from the states of massachusetts and nebraska, as well as the first asian-american woman and the first openly gay senator as well. >> let's hear it for the girls. >> let's hear it for all that diversity. >> for the girls, that's what i'm saying. >> and asian and gay, all kinds of diversity. >> absolutely. i'm just saying the women are getting it done. >> all right. >> we know how to collaborate and work together. >> recognize! >> rain from los angeles to seattle, mountain snow. flurries in the dakotas.

heavy rain from tallahassee. severe storms in south florida. >> upper 70s in miami. 50s in colorado springs and 15 in fargo. when our time is up, we want to rest in peace one day. but who said anything about resting quietly? >> that's going to bring us to our favorite story of the day. a swedish company is selling hi-fi coffins for $30,000. the sound system is designed to pipe non-stop music six feet under. surviving friends and family can update your play list at any time. i think they're going to sabotage this. >> i love this story. the coffin comes with delux speakers and a screen displaying which song is playing at the time. i love that story. people like to enjoy their music, why not for eternity?

not bad. >> they're probably going to be pipe in some songs that should be playing in hell, though. new questions about reality tv and whether one popular show is actually rigged. >> shock and awe. today's magic number for brides and grooms. they want to get married today on 12-12-12. you're watching "world news now." 3q

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♪ smugglers are always looking for unique ways to get drugs into the hands of users, and now you can add to that list pot cannons. yeah, these are cans of marijuana found by border patrol agents in arizona. 33 of them were found totalling 85 pounds. agents think they were launched from mexico by a pressurized powered cannon, similar to the ones that shoot t-shirts in those baseball games. the street value of this haul, about $43,000. bombs away. >> that's a high price. now to a hairy situation for

a judge in floud ft. lauderdale, florida. first, the judge had a tough time getting a look at a burglary suspect appearing in his court by video. that's because vanessa lee's big hair was covering her entire face. she was convinced to move her braids out of the way, but when the judge asked her a question, she responded by knocking on the podium. >> how are you doing? i don't know what the tapping is, ma'am. i only knew morse code in the navy and i forgot it. >> that's weird. lee never spoke. she just tapped. snickered as the judge set her bond at $2,000. ♪ blame it on the rain say it ain't so ♪ >> a former cast member says the reality tv show "storage wars" may be rigged. stunning, isn't it? in a lawsuit, he claims producers added some of the valuables found inside the locker to add up the drama.

he says a car and newspapers chronicling elvis presley's death were among the planted items. he claims to have been fired for complaining and now wants close to $1 million. >> so he wants some money out of it? >> i don't watch the show, so i don't care. >> i watched it a couple of times. i wouldn't be surprised if it was staged. holiday movie fans, we want your vote. tell us what you think is the funniest holiday movie. we'll reveal the top picks later this month. >> the director of "harold and kumar 3" thinks he should win. he even tweeted about it last week. look at that. how about that? very cool. >> we got three extra votes. all right. you didn't get my "blame it on

the rain" thing? >> i did. i was trying to recover from that horrible singing. all right, coming up next, a possible new role for jennifer aniston, and this is not a tv or movie role. and what an angry judge wants to do with lindsay lohan. it's all next in "the skinny." that's all next in "the skinny." before cold & flu season, help prevent with lysol disinfectant spray. and use the lysol no touch hand soap for 10 times more protection with each wash. this season, a good offense is the best defense. lysol. mission for health.

♪ this story will not upset anybody. according to tmz, the l.a. city attorney is planning to file documents asking the judge to revoke lindsay lohan's probation and put her behind bars. prosecutors are now out for blood and they want her probation revoked because of criminal charges filed against her in santa monica stemming from her car accident. city attorneys don't need to do much. the judge can act on her authority alone. she's set to be arraigned today on three misdemeanor accounts including lying to the cops, obstruction. she could be locked up by the judge later today. no one shedding a tear. i can imagine. but hey, she did it to herself. can't sweat it. >> poor thing might do her some good.

so george w. bush, former president, now going to have a new title. grand daddy. his daughter jenna bush is expecting her first child. she's 31. her husband, henry, who is 34. they've been married four years. they live in manhattman hat. -- manhattan. last month, she described herself as a home sick texan living in new york. so he's very excited. and also, rumors that jennifer aniston is pregnant. she declined booze and sushi over the weekend, things you're supposed to stay away from while pregnant. >> it will be a beautiful kid if it's true. also, the j.r. ewing tv character, larry hagman passed away over thanksgiving weekend. tnt was already in plans to bring back the show "dallas." apparently now they're going to have a funeral for the character

on the show. a fitting sends-off. >> and finally, the annual list of the 99 most desirable list of women. jennifer lawrence jumping 46 spots. voters said she's more authentic. as for the top five, rihanna, emma stone. your girl, kim k., dropping to 98, nearly out of the running. >> i demand a recount. >> you got that right. got that right. t right. [ scratching ]

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♪ ♪ something happened today that won't happen again this century. we'll all be dead by then. it is 12-12-12, a triple crown of nifty numbers. >> this is certainly a day to remember for lots of reasons for lots of folks out there. we'll give you a rundown for what it means for some of those people.

but first, it is the day for what is being billed as the biggest event in music history. >> and the concert is called 12-12-12. should be national sound check day, but it takes place tonight at new york's madison square garden. on the bill, bruce springsteen, the who, paul mccartney, bon jovi, eric clapton, billy joel, your girl alicia keys is going to be there. chris martin, kanye west, and believe it or not, more. and it all goes to benefit survivors of hurricane sandy. >> cool day, great cause. nicely done. as with all magic numbers, brides and grooms like to get hitched. >> this is an easy way for the husband to remember the anniversary. an arizona couple is giving their whole wedding the theme of 12, inviting 12 guests to be there, tying the knot at 4:12. one of at least five couples getting married at the same place today. david's bridal estimates there are about 7,500 nuptials across the country today.

>> seems like the end of something and the start of something new for us in our new life. >> it sounds good. it just sounds good. it's something that i think will give us luck in our life. >> the biggest wedding plans in florida where couples can get married at 12:12 p.m. for $500. it's expected to break the record for most marriages in a single day. >> and there are thousands of kids who have a special day today when they turn 12. >> i didn't know you were going there. one of those is this boy. he lives in alabama, born on december 12 at 12:12 p.m. he turned 12 today. in lieu of a cake, he's asked for krispy kreme donuts arranged in the shape of 12. he thinks it's cool but he can only have 12 donuts, though. >> this won't happen again until january 1st, 2101, 88 years from

now. kind of a cool day. we should do something special to commemorate. >> what should we do to celebrate? >> 1/1/01. i think that's when my contract at abc is up. we'll see how it goes. [ female announcer ] now get high speed internet at home

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in our top story. and new details coming in on that deadly shooting near portland, oregon. 10,000 people in the mall when the shooter went on his rampage. so far three fatalities and a couple of injuries. >> including the shooter who turned the gun on himself. a legal landmark in michigan. once a union strong hold, the new measure that is dealing a serious blow to organized labor. then call it the safety dance. the cop who is really busting a move or two. >> he's having fun on his job. i can appreciate that. >> getting low, getting low, getting low. i wonder if he has a sound track out there for him. or just his own tunes going on in his head. but first, the white house is out with a strong reaction to north korea's successful test firing of a long-range ballistic missile. >> the obama administration calls the launch a highly provocative act that threatens regional security.

the question now, does the threat extend to this country? >> reporter: in a breaking news broadcast, north korean television celebrated the regime's successful test of the long-range rocket from its launch site. it is the second attempt by the north koreans this year. last april, a similar test failed within minutes after takeoff. this time, the rocket traveled directly over okinawa, before falling 180 miles north of the philippines according to the japanese government. japanese officials say it took place at 9:49 a.m. and followed the intended path. debris fell in at least three locations. it was detected by a south korean warship on alert. there were also four american warships in the region. four previous tests have fallen far short of expectations. a key issue is how far the rocket travels and whether the second and third stages were successfully separated. the north koreans insisted the

efforts are part of a peaceful space program to place a satellite into orbit. but the u.s. and other allies believe it is a disguised attempt to test a long-range ballistic missile, with further developments that a rocket could carry a nuclear warhead. and potentially reach as far as california. a successful launch gives north korea a heightened leverage on the diplomatic stage, and analysts do not believe north korea has the nuclear technology to be a credible threat to the u.s., but today's launch is a step forward for north korea and its new leader. gloria riviera, abc news, seoul. >> the fifth time is the charm. the four previous attempts did not go well. you remember the big incident in april, they called the international media there and that rocket lasted about 135 seconds in the air before ultimately coming down.

so this really is a big step for them. >> it's a big step and a big step for kim jong-un, their new leader. barely in office for a year. he kind of needed to show his power and that he can rise to the occasion after that massive fail back in april. >> and next week will be the one-year anniversary since his father passed away. so a coming out party for the new leader and his new regime. it means a lot on various levels. the pacific northwest, just outside of portland, oregon, when the attack at the town center was over, three people including the gunman were dead. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: a shopping mall at christmastime is supposed to be safe. when witnesses first heard loud pops near the food court of this portland area mall, some thought it was bursting balloons. >> we thought it was balloon.

>> then we saw little fire thingies. >> reporter: then the screaming and everyone knew it was something far worse. >> all of a sudden we heard a bang. we covered our ears and got down. then a matter of five seconds later, we heard bang, bang, bang, bang. >> reporter: it started shortly before 3:30 p.m., the mall busy with shoppers. at santa's workshop in macy's, someone saw santa drop to his knees. they weren't sure if he was hit or ducking for cover. eyewitnesss say the gunman carried an assault rifle and fired in rapid bursts. hundreds raced for the exits. others, trapped inside stores, tweeted photos and updates, including this picture from inside a locked store. another showed broken glass in the immediate aftermath. three people are dead, including the gunman, four others injured. authorities confirmed there were no shots fired by police inside the mall.

the gunman took his own life. for law enforcement, a nightmare scenario. a shooting rampage in a mall and because it was late afternoon, there were dozens of kids after school, hoping to see santa. >> this incident now joins a grisly list. this year alone, 12 people killed, 58 wounded in july. six people killed at this wisconsin sikh temple in august. now add to that this shopping mall. this is likely to lead to heightened security measures at shopping centers across the country, just in time for christmas. david wright, abc news. george zimmerman still must wear that gps monitoring device. a judge denied requests to remove that device. he said zimmerman cannot leave the county until his trial. zimmerman is accused in the shooting death of trayvon martin in the so-called stand your

ground case. new york police released that surveillance tape of that shooting in manhattan. the camera shows a man walking up behind brandon woodard. in the next instant, the 31-year-old law student from california, he was shot dead. the killer then slipped into a waiting car and sped away. also some snail-like progress to report toward a fiscal compromise in washington. president obama and house speaker john boehner spoke about the stalemate last night after trading some new offers. mr. obama is now demanding less new revenue from tax hikes but continues to insist on higher taxes for the wealthy. he talked about it in an exclusive interview with our barbara walters. >> the most important thing we can do is make sure middle class 1st, and i'm confident that republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to

try to protect tax cuts for high income individuals. >> for his part, speaker boehner's new counteroffer seeks $800 billion in tax revenues. none of it, though, from higher tax rates. one more political note. a possible battle royale next year in new jersey. newark mayor cory booker says he's going to decide whether to challenge republican governor chris christie, who is enjoying some sky high approval ratings. booker calls chris christie vulnerable on women's issues and the environment. chris christie is riding a wave of popularity because of how he responded to hurricane sandy. but according to a poll, in a matchup with booker, chris christie prevailed 53% to 35%. >> he's eyeing a more probable run for the u.s. senate in 2014.

so clearly, we'll see how it plays out. mayor booker is just coming off of his food stamp challenge where he lived off of $31 a week in food. so he made a lot of headlines. >> the two of them have a pretty good working relationship. they've praised one another and were featured in a tongue and cheek video together, collaborating back in may. >> not a dull time in jersey politics. my home state. here's your wednesday forecast, everybody. heavy rain and gusty winds from miami to orlando. showers to the north, spreading into the carolinas. light snow in north dakota, the northern rockies. up to a foot in the sierra range and rainy from l.a. up to pacific coast. >> 44 in seattle. 52 in sacramento. 40s from oklahoma to new york. near 60 in dallas and new orleans. >> home of the super bowl in a few weeks.

you know it's the holiday season when the dancing cat returns to the streets of rhode island's biggest city. just take a look at those moves. he retired a while back, but he still puts on a show every december. willis needs to join him. >> oh, please. to stay in shape, he works out about four times a week. when he's not entertaining on the streets, he travels the country encouraging kids to simply do their best. he's retired but still having fun. that's good. >> he's been doing that since 1984. look at that. >> breaking it down. look at that, man. >> go, tony, go, tony. it's your birthday. >> going to take him out to the club one night. let him break it down. that's better than you, willis. >> my money is on willis. between the two of you. coming up, the most fascinating people this year. see who kept us captivated in 2012. and the impact on workers, companies and labor unions after

a major decision in michigan. you're watching "world news now." r decision in michigan. you're watching "world news now."

♪ welcome back, everyone. despite the protests of thousands of people, michigan's governor rick snyder signed into law a right-to-work statute. >> critics say it weakens unions by taking away the requirement of union dues. that's pretty significant, because the state of michigan is one of the birthplaces of modern

labor rights. >> reporter: michigan's republican controlled state legislature approved two controversial right-to-work bills, all the while pro union protesters crowded the capital. >> wages will go down. benefits will go down. it's going to hurt small business, local business. it's just going to hurt michigan. >> reporter: at issue is right to work. it allowed people to opt out of joining the union at the workplace. the governor has flip-flopped, saying it was labor and democrats who hit first, trying to pass prop 2 in november. voters turned it down. >> made the point to him to say if you go forward with this, you're going to create an environment involving labor issues that this could rise to the level where i might not be able to keep it off the agenda and that's what happened. >> reporter: democrats and congress met privately with the

governor asking him to delay the divisive issue. he didn't. >> he has the responsibility as our leader of avoiding this kind of a cliff. it's not good enough we told him for him to say that he would like to get this behind us. >> reporter: michigan will become the 24th right-to-work state in the country. rob and paula? >> so opponents have 90 days to gather 8% of signatures in opposition of this. if they do so, it'll be on the the ballot in 2014 when governor snyder is up for re-election. never mentioned this was on his agenda until last thursday. >> he kind of flip-flopped. seemed like he was strong armed into doing this. the real issue is you're see thing republican push in some of the midwest states but they put a vote up to the people whether to put collective rights in the state constitution. the voters said we don't want it. so the state say an opening to chip away and that's why they took this advantage. the average worker in this country, unionized or not, in a right-to-work state earns $1,500

less a year in a state without such a law. we'll see how it plays out. >> quick note, though, you still have to pay union dues. union dues can sometimes be in the thousands, as well. so factor that in, as well. >> i don't know whether that does or not, but there's studies out there that show the ups and downs. so a turning point for labor in the country. coming up next, an annual tradition here at abc news. >> barbara walters with the most fascinating people of the year. find out if rob is on the list, next. fascinating people of the year. find out if rob is on the list, next.

sad news to pass along this morning. an international music legend has passed away. >> the indian player who brought that nation's music to the world died yesterday in san diego. ravi shankar collaborated with john coltrane and the beatles and he was also the father of

singer norah jones. i'm sure you know norah's music. ravi shankar was 92 years old. now we turn to one of the most anticipated tv events of the year. >> barbara walter's 10 most fascinating people has brought us interviews with the most prominent names and this year a young crowd makes the list. ♪ >> my first choice wasn't a tough one. it was fascinating to us that two years ago they didn't even know each other. now this incredible boy band just going one direction, up. they are an overnight sensation, taking the world by storm and making young girls everywhere swoon. if you had to describe this past year in one word, what would it be? >> insane. >> incredible. >> fun. >> overwhelming. >> and harry styles recently

made even more headlines for his relationship with taylor swift. the pair was nicknamed "haylor." we chose another young sensation who captured our hearts earlier this year. a global power house in her own right, 16-year-old u.s. olympic gymnast gabby douglas. you are the first woman of color to win a gold medal in the women's individual all around. does that matter to you? was that important? >> yes, just a little. i'm just kidding. it means so much to me that i could go to london and just inspire anyone. >> so your mother struggled for you to be what you are. how bad did it get? >> it got pretty bad, but she didn't let me know everything, because she wanted me to focus on my training. >> are you definitely going to compete in the next olympics? >> definitely. >> and from sexiest men alive to man of the moment.

ben affleck, an academy award winning screen writer at age 26. >> i fly into tehran, we all fly out together. >> he's now in the running for best director and best actor. people are talking about you for an oscar. you star in it, you direct it. >> this has definitely been a pronounced movement up. >> did you ever consider anybody else for the lead besides yourself? >> you know, it's one of those things where the actor was sleeping with the director. i wanted to have as much to do with it as i could. i just really loved the part. >> george clooney, your friend, he was chosen sexiest man in 2006. matt damon, your closest friend, was chosen in 2007. of the three of you, which one is really the sexiest? >> well, matt has since shaved his head, and i've always liked a man with a shaved head, that bullet head look, which i think is very, very sexy.

>> barbara's special, the ten most fascinating people of 2012, arrest -- airs tonight here on abc at 9:30/8:30 central. she's been doing these specials since '93, almost 20 years. >> amazing. they're always thoroughly enjoyable. >> she's always secretive who number one is. won't be either one of us. >> we don't even get a vote. >> won't be you, willis. hd-.

hd-3.

all right. today is a pretty significant day around the globe. it's 12-12-12. the last time we'll have a repeating number until january 1st of 2101. which is pretty much when we're all going to be dead. so enjoy it now, because we'll never be able to enjoy this again. 11-11-11 was the nerd new year. but things to do on 12-12-12 in florida, you can get married for

$500 at 12:12. in asian countries, 12 is the luckiest number that you can garner. expected mothers are booking themselves for c-sections to ensure a fortuitous birthday for their kiddos. >> it's good to celebrate a fun day with something a little off beat, like the birth of a kid or a wedding. >> my husband always forgets our anniversary. 12-12-12, you have no excuse. >> don't screw it up. so enjoy this special day, everybody. also, that time of year when everyone is coming out with their list of this and that for the year. so google, the most searched things of the year. whitney houston was the biggest trending celebrity of the year. she passed away several months back. also, the justin bieber breakup with actress selena gomez was the most inquired about

celebrity split. andy murray was the most searched olympian. "skyfall" topped the movie list. "gangnam" was the top trending song. and in fashion, british olympic kick designer stella mccartney was the top trending label of the year. >> can you believe it's going to be 2013 in a couple of weeks? this particular groom was going to the chapel to be married. the only problem, he was arrested and spent the night in jail. he was driving 100 miles per hour near valparaiso, indiana. officers saying he was switching lanes, almost totaled his jeep. they waited until he pulled into the church's parking lot. this as relatives were waiting and shouting at him to slow down before he performed a doughnut. he told police he was late for the wedding and just been released from jail earlier that day. didn't make the wedding.

and the fully loaded cheese burger bloody mary in milwaukee, wisconsin. the drink/burger combination is garnished with shrimp, polish sausage, cheese, asparagus, and all of it unbelievably f

this morning on "world news now," shopping mall tragedy. police in suburban portland, oregon, say a gunman went on a rampage, killing two people and then himself. >> even the mall's santa had to duck from that rapid gunfire from a semi automatic weapon. it's wednesday, december 12th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson.

>> and i'm paula faris. that mall shooting in oregon is just one of the major stories that we are following. our other big headline is from north korea, where a long-range ballistic missile was launched this morning, provoking the world and the united states. >> they tried four times. this time was a success. could give them a lot of power diplomatically. so the world is watching that for sure. then an abc news exclusive. eye opening comments from president obama on the syrian rebels and who should pay more taxes and why. abc's barbara walters gets the big story. she sits down with the president and first lady over the holidays. so a lot going on in d.c. also this morning, millions of people that are struggling with depression may get relief the same day, thanks to a new experimental treatment. this could be ground breaking in that world, because typically when you take medication, it takes a month or two to see the

effects. you might see it that same day. >> around the holidays, people tend to get depressed. so interesting story. but of course, the big story right now this morning, that huge shopping mall near portland, oregon, 1.4 million square feet in fact. it will be closed today after a gunman wearing camouflage and a white mask opened fire on crowds of holiday shoppers. >> eyewitnesss at the scene are describing scenes of horror include the town center where the shooter killed two people, wounded a third before taking his own life. >> reporter: chaos inside a suburban portland mall as a gunman opened fire on holiday shoppers. >> we heard a big bang. we covered our ears and got down. all of a sudden, five seconds later we heard rapid fire, bang, bang, bang. >> reporter: the shots were

heard throughout the shopping center. >> it was like really loud. and it continued like 20 times. >> we heard some people running and screaming, so we were hiding in the back, but we didn't know what was going on. >> i was just praying that no one was dead and that we would live. >> reporter: then the s.w.a.t. team moved in. officers scoured the mall for any survivors. >> the shooter is deceased. two dead and one transported to trauma. additionally, i can confirm that the shooter is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. by all accounts, there's no rounds fired by law enforcement. >> reporter: police and eyewitnesss say the gunman opened fire right when he walked out of macy's and into the food court. >> everything became so surreal. it was a lot like virginia tech and the incident at columbine. he came in with a hockey mask on, so he came with the intent

to kill. >> how many scenes like that have we seen just this year alone? apparently up to 10,000 people in the mall at the time. we talked about how big this is, including middle schoolers who were doing a christmas carol concert at the time. the carnage could have been a lot worse. >> one witness said he looked like a teenager wearing a bullet proof vest and white mask and he looked straight at me. >> there was some good news. there were some e.r. nurses and a physician who happened to be at the mall and they were able to help treat some folks. lucky for them. just a sad scene. we've seen too many of these mass shootings just this year. this is just the latest example coming at such a horrible time. now to the other major story. north korea defying the world and carrying out the launch of a long-range rocket. reaction from the white house has been swift, with a statement calling the launch "a highly provocative act that threatens

regional security." north korea is hailing its success, which comes after four failed attempts. but the international community fears the secretive regime is a big step closer to being able to launch a missile with a nuclear warhead. there was also a rocket launch here at home. one that was shrouded in secrecy. the military launched its small top secret version of the space shuttle hidden on top of an atlas 5 rocket. it's the second flight and it circled the planet for seven months in 2010. it's one quarter the size of the old nasa space shuttles and can land on any ordinary runway. two men from alabama are under arrest, charged with conspiring to support terrorists. their photos have not been released. but both of them are 25 years old and from mobile, alabama. abukdhair was arrested yesterday. wilson was taken into custody as

he tried to board a flight to morocco. both of them planned to wage jihad in western africa. four current or former players involved with the new orleans saints bounty gate investigation have had their original suspensions overturned. that was the finding from the former nfl commissioner. however, he still found three of the players had engaged in detrimental conduct. his harshest criticism was saved for saints' coaches and management, which he accused of deliberating obstructing the nfl investigation. but certainly some of the players feeling a little vindicated. >> he completely put this on the coaches and the front office. the entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the organization, which is why he says i vacate all discipline to be imposed on the players. he considered not just removing the suspensions, but following that up with fines.

but ultimately, the former commissioner decided that he was just going to retract everything. >> this doesn't affect the coaches. the quarterback for the saints, drew brees, tweeted out, congratulations to our players for having the suspensions vacated. unfortunately, there are some things that can never be taken back. >> and jonathan vilma is still considering a defamation lawsuit against the current commissioner, roger goodell. >> messy all the way around. i think some folks were surprised by that. new orleans folks are happy. moving on to that record fine against hsbc. the government says the british bank did business with drug lords and terrorists yet faces no criminal charges. brian ross reports. >> reporter: when the most ruthless of the mexican drug cartels wanted to hide their

money, they went to hsbc. so did hamas and al qaeda, along with iran and other countries and the u.s. financial blacklist. all customers of a bank known well around the word. but given much less prominence in the announcement was a deferred prosecution agreement with hsbc, meaning there will be no prosecution of the bank or its top executives. despite more than a decade of dealing with criminals and terrorists. >> this is a very just, very real and very powerful result. >> you don't think the bank got off easy? >> no, and i don't think the bank thinks it got off easy. >> reporter: but with $38 billion in profits over just the last two years alone, hsbc can easily afford its $1.92 billion payment. >> this is a signal to other banks that if you do this kind of stuff, you'll get a parking ticket, you'll pay the fine and move on. >> reporter: since this summer,

when executives ducked questions from abc news, lawyers argued that a successful prosecution of hsbc could have put the bank out of business in the u.s., costing lots of jobs and disrupting financial markets. u.s. officials apparently agreed and hsbc had become too big to prosecute. the bank said it's profoundly sorry, but it's demonstrated how a big bank could get away with crimes that for others would mean years and years in prison. brian ross, abc news, new york. in other news, women are not climbing to the top of american corporate ladders, according to the latest survey from "fortune" magazine. there's been no growth in the women of color in board rooms. women hold only 8% of the top earning positions in the country. 8%. for the fifth year in a row, "forbes" reports more than two-thirds of the biggest companies have no women of color

serving on the board. "forbes" is developing a list of women ready for such positions. perhaps even binders full of them. >> touche. now to london. >> this is what londoners saw yesterday. a giant rubber ducky floating on the river. they even had to open up the famous tower bridge to let the ducky through. >> it was a stunt put on by a gambling website, meant to promote a program to get londoners to smile more. >> oh, man. >> is there a smiling deficit in london? >> i wonder if it glows in the dark like my rubber ducky at home. >> look at that thing. >> is it big enough for your bathtub? coming up next, president

obama's comments on syria and the fiscal cliff made headlines. it's another abc news exclusive. later, the advantages of inhaling rather than chewing. you're watching "world news now." ching "world news now." i'm done! "are you a cool mom?" i'm gonna find out. [ female announcer ] swiffer wetjet's pads are better than ever. now they have the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser so you don't have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub away tough, dried-on stains. hey, do you guys think i'm "momtacular" or "momtrocious"? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. now with the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser.

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♪ a significant announcement from president obama during an exclusive interview with our very open barbara walters. >> the president said his administration now formally recognizes a newly formed coalition of syrian rebels. that is significant. the rebels for fighting to topple syria's president. here's her report. >> i would like to talk about syria. do you plan to recognize the opposition and give them some legitimacy? >> we made a decision that the syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the syrian people in opposition to

the assad regime and so we will provide them recognition and obviously with that recognition comes responsibilities on the part of that coalition. >> that's a big step. >> it is a big step. there is a small element of the -- of those who oppose the assad regime that are, in fact, affiliated with al qaeda in iraq. and we have designated them as a terrorist organization. and we are going to make clear to distinguish between those elements of the opposition. >> with the president recognizing the syrian opposition as the legitimate authority this that country, many are asking what this may mean in terms of u.s. involvement. but senior administration officials said there's still no plans to arm this group. yet the government hasn't ruled it out. the other issue on the forefront on the president's mind, the u.s. economy and that pending

fiscal cliff. are we going to go over the fiscal cliff? >> you know, i remain optimistic that there are enough people of good will in this town that recognize our economy will be much better off, american families will be much better off if we get this done. the most important thing we can do is make sure middle class taxes don't go up on january 1st. and i'm pretty confident that republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to try to protect tax cuts for high income individuals. >> prediction, are you going to be able to raise taxes, yes or no? >> taxes are going to go up one way or another. and i think the key is to make sure that taxes go up on the high end individuals like you and me, barbara. we can afford it. it is entirely possible for us to come up with a deal, but time is running short. >> how about this analysis. the obama administration wants to send a clear message that while it supports syria's coalition opposition, to lead syria's democratic transition when the assad regime falls,

there is no place for extremism in the country's future. so you see these parallel actions. recognizing the opposition formally but at the same time labeling certain parts of it as, you know, terrorists. so that's an important distinction there. and all eyes are glued to whether chemical weapons will be used or not. >> as you can allude to, they're opening the door for that possibility down the road. but responsibly. >> and we should point out that the full interview with president obama and the first lady will air on friday on "20/20" and "nightline." a cool tradition that barbara gets to sit down in the white house during the holidays and talk to both. certainly no shortage of topics as 2012 winds down. >> but yet the platform is not like she gets extended time for it. "20/20" is still the same amount of time, even though topics are -- >> we'll be back. stay with us. e -- >> we'll be back. stay with us.

well, this is big. there's a potential breakthrough for millions of people suffering with depression. >> it's not a pill. it's actually an iv treatment and patients who tested it are showing remarkable progress. abc's chief health and medical editor dr. richard besser has more. >> reporter: a lifetime of depression. lifting in just a few minutes. dennis, suffering for years, had tried pretty much every antidepressant on the market. no response. have you tried treatments? >> they've never helped me at all. >> reporter: but at the national institutes for health, they're trying out a whole new class of antidepressant, drugs that may offer a new path to fighting depression, fast. a couple hours? >> yes, that's all it takes.

we can achieve the same thing in a few hours. >> reporter: typical antidepressants target serotonin. a chemical that controls happiness. but you can't tell if it's working for four to six weeks. but this is working in a different way, working on neurons that control mood. they seem to show results within hours. for dennis, it's been a glimpse of a whole new life. >> i can get up in the morning, return calls, do the things that people do without impairment. it doesn't feel like i have to fight in order to do those routine tasks. >> reporter: it's important to note that these drugs are only available in clinical trials, so dennis has made video recordings, so he can watch the videos, see himself happy and give himself hope. dr. richard besser, abc news, washington. >> fantastic news. and it's a light drug, called azd 6765. >> remember that. >> memorize it, everybody. >> sometimes these

antidepressants take weeks to kick in. if you're depressed, you have to imagine the suicide potential is high. so the weeks it takes to kick in, you know, that's important. that's a lag time where bad stuff could happen. so this is encouraging news for a lot of people who suffer with this. >> a lot of people wait until it's too late. so this could be great. >> certainly good news. we will lighten the mood when we come back. keep it right here on "world news now."

♪ it's no secret that we like to eat around here. particularly one of us. so this next story is one that we're a little perplexed by. >> you like to eat. i actually like to inhale my food because i eat it so quick. but it's a growing trend that

lets people inhale their food in a good way. >> reporter: attention foodies. put down your forks. >> i know that taste. >> reporter: the latest culinary craze doesn't involve food at all. >> for me, it's like going into a steam room. >> reporter: take a whiff. a high tech kitchen gadget that uses ultrasound waves to turn any flavor into a vapor, landing on your taste buds, not your waistline. >> dessert without the calories. >> reporter: the waft is sweeping europe and soon to be on our shores. at juniper kitchen restaurant in ontario, he creates a revolutionary eating experience. show us how it's done. >> since you said you like mint chocolate chips, we're going to do that. so just straight, raw ingredients.

mint and cocoa mint, put these together, a little syrup. a little chocolate. we're going to strain all that out. let's see what happens. there's the straw. >> reporter: it's like an ice cream cloud. with endless flavor combinations, he can turn any meal into a culinary quiz show. let's see if you can trip me up. half the fun seems to be identifying the flavors in the vapor. >> this one might stump you. >> reporter: cherry? >> no. >> reporter: raspberry. >> that's it. >> reporter: round two, here we go. >> classic cocktail. you almost got it. >> reporter: is this a mojito? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: and i'm cuban and

it took me that long to get that one. >> our old friend tonya rivero. i still got to chew. i don't know about you. >> i don't know if he makes a potato chip vapor. >> i'm still going for it, though. >> you can still inhale those. >> that's how charlie sheen eats [ female announcer ] now get high speed internet at home

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a connection your whole house can count on. ♪ this morning on "world news now," holiday horror at the mall. a gunman opens fire on crowds of christmas shoppers in a portland, oregon, suburb, where mall santa drops to his knees to stay safe. >> three people, including the gunman, are now dead and stunned survivors are left asking why? it is wednesday, december 12th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, everyone. i'm paula faris.

>> on this 12-12-12. interesting date. the last time we'll see a day like this for 88 years, until january 1st, 2101. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. serious news to get to this morning. holiday festivities turned to bloodshed and fear when that masked man went on a shooting rampage. also this morning, north korea makes a bold military move, launching a long-range ballistic missile. what that means for the u.s. and for the rest of the world. it's really taking the united states government by surprise, too. and hair ye, hair ye, a burglary suspect's bizarre behavior make for an interesting day in a south florida courtroom. later, prosecutors really want to throw the book now at, wait for it, yeah, lindsay

lohan. the punishment she could now face. that is coming up in "the skinny." if she made half as many headlines for her acting than her legal trouble, she'd be in a much better spot. this time prosecutors are fed up. they are looking to take drastic action. so see how that plays out. >> i think she's on her second round of nine lives. authorities say they have tentatively identified that gunman who walked into a shopping mall in portland, oregon, and opened fires on thousands of holiday shoppers. >> police are not releasing the name of the man who killed two people before taking his own life. we get more now from abc's david wright. >> reporter: it was just before 3:30 when shoppers at this portland mall heard shots ring out and people started running for the exits. >> we heard a big bang. we covered our ears and got down and five seconds later we heard rapid fire, bang, bang, bang. >> we heard like a balloon or

something. >> we thought it was a balloon. >> all of a sudden we heard six or seven more shots and realized it was a gun and everybody just -- their faces went into panic and started running and screaming. >> reporter: witnesses described a man with a semi automatic weapon wearing camouflaged clothing, possibly body armor and a mask. some were locked inside the mall as the events unfolding, described the series of events, including the mall santa claus dropping to his knees. >> we are actually currently locked inside of a store in the mall with about ten people. and s.w.a.t. teams are currently going around the mall trying to apprehend the suspect. i saw two. >> you saw two people shot? >> uh-huh. >> how serious? >> we had to bring sheets out of our back room for them. >> it didn't look like they made it? >> no.

>> reporter: one photo showed shattered glass in the aftermath. police have confirmed three dead, including the gunman. >> i can confirm that we believe at this point there was one and only one shooter involved and that shooter is deceased. >> reporter: police say the crime scene has calmed down considerably, but no indication who this gunman might be or what his possible motives might be or even his m.o. was he shooting randomly or targeted individuals? one thing to underscore here, this is the holiday shopping season across the country and this is sure to send shockwaves across america as people absorb yet another shooting rampage. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> as david just said, this is the latest in a string of multiple shootings, including the aurora, colorado, movie massacre shooting and the sikh temple and the day spa shootings in wisconsin and right now as we speak, gun sales are setting records in america. almost 16.5 million background

checks for would-be weapons buyers last year were done. less than one half of 1% were denied. this country has almost 130,000 federally licensed firearms dealers. more places in america to buy guns than to get gas, groceries or a big mac at mcdonald's. on top of that, almost 48,000 people in america were murdered with guns between 2006 and 2010. that's a lot of numbers. listen to this one. according to the atf, in 2010, there were 5.4 million new firearms manufactured in the u.s. nearly all for the u.s. market and this year 3.2 million were imported to the u.s., nearly 8.5 million new firearms on the streets of america in one year. think about that. >> and if you think about how many people were denied, 16.4 million background checks you mentioned last year, and just 0.48% denied. so it's just a matter of whether

or not what side of the aisle you stand on in terms of gun control. just keeping it out of the wrong hands. there's a lot of people that are responsible gun owners. >> the other side is the gun lobby in this country is very powerful. and neither side has the political will to tackle an issue despite all these massacres. we see the news. we get outraged for a day and it goes back to normal until the next time. that's -- this is a gun-loving country but we pay the price for it. the other side says it's not guns that kill people, it's people that kill people. the gun control debate rages on. but you look at stuff like this, it's hard to swallow. >> you wonder if they didn't have a gun if they would use another weapon. >> who knows? a brazen act of defiance by north korea, which has pulled off the test of a long-range ballistic missile. that rocket was fired today,

flying in the direction of the philippines. the white house called it provocative. the successful test firing follows four failures and the u.s. and other countries have to deal with a north korea that could be a big step closer to being able to launch a missile loaded with a nuclear weapon. experts say they have a long way to go before they can threaten neighboring countries and perhaps one day the west coast of the united states and they have yet to develop a warhead to fit atop that missile. but they're making significant progress. >> if it got to the stage it can reach los angeles. that's the significance for us. and we're just five days away from the one-year anniversary when kim jong-il passed away. so there's a symbolic importance for them doing this now. so this is the furthest they've gotten. so we have to keep an eye the

closer they get. they have clearly made progress. in other news this morning, and to capitol hill, the slow progress being made toward a fiscal compromise in this country that would avoid tax hikes for all of us come next year. president obama and house speaker john boehner spoke about the stalemate by phone last night. mr. obama has cut his demand for new revenue from tax hikes but continues to insist on higher taxes for the wealthy. boehner's counter offer was almost what republicans have been offering all along, $800 billion in tax revenues, none of them generated by higher tax rates. that stalemate is causing irritation for the senate female members. starting in january, there will be 20 of them, a new record. and they told diane sawyer if they were in charge, well, a deal would already be done. >> what i find is with all due deference to our male colleagues that women's styles tend to be more collaborative. >> i think by nature, we are

less confrontational and more collaborative. and having us in the room, and i think all of us, not only do we want to work in a bipartisan way, we do it. >> certainly a turning point now for the senate in the chamber next year. it will be the first-ever females from the states of massachusetts and nebraska, as well as the first asian-american woman and the first openly gay senator as well. >> let's hear it for the girls. >> let's hear it for all that diversity. >> for the girls, that's what i'm saying. >> and asian and gay, all kinds of diversity. >> absolutely. i'm just saying the women are getting it done. >> all right. >> we know how to collaborate and work together. >> recognize! >> here's your wednesday weather. chilly rain from los angeles to seattle. mountain snow in the west. flurries in the dakotas. heavy rain from tallahassee. severe storms in south florida.

>> upper 70s in miami. 40s in the northeast and much of the midwest. 50s in colorado springs and 15 in fargo. is when our time is up, we want to rest in peace one day. but who said anything about resting quietly? >> that's going to bring us to our favorite story of the day. a swedish company is selling hi-fi coffins for $30,000. the sound system is designed to pipe non-stop music six feet under. surviving friends and family can update your play list at any time. i think they're going to sabotage this. >> i love this story. the coffin comes with delux speakers and a screen displaying which song is playing at the time. i love that story. people like to enjoy their music, why not for eternity?

not bad. >> they're probably going to be pipe in some songs that should be playing in hell, though. new questions about reality tv and whether one popular show is actually rigged. >> shock and awe. today's magic number for brides and grooms. they want to get married today on 12-12-12. you're watching "world news now." 3q

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♪ smugglers are always looking for unique ways to get drugs into the hands of users, and now you can add to that list pot cannons. yeah, these are cans of marijuana found by border patrol agents in arizona. 33 of them were found totalling 85 pounds. agents think they were launched from mexico by a pressurized powered cannon, similar to the ones that shoot t-shirts in those baseball games. the street value of this haul, about $43,000. bombs away. >> that's a high price. now to a hairy situation for

a judge in ft. lauderdale, florida. first, the judge had a tough time getting a look at a burglary suspect appearing in his court by video. that's because vanessa lee's big hair was covering her entire face. she was convinced to move her braids out of the way, but when the judge asked her a question, she responded by knocking on the podium. >> how are you doing? i don't know what the tapping is, ma'am. i only knew morse code in the navy and i forgot it. >> that's weird. lee never spoke. she just tapped. snickered as the judge set her bond at $2,000. ♪ blame it on the rain say it ain't so ♪ >> a former cast member says the reality tv show "storage wars" may be rigged. stunning, isn't it? in a lawsuit, he claims producers added some of the valuables found inside the locker to add up the drama.

he says a car and newspapers chronicling elvis presley's death were among the planted items. he claims to have been fired for complaining and now wants close to $1 million. >> so he wants some money out of it? >> i don't watch the show, so i don't care. >> i watched it a couple of times. i wouldn't be surprised if it was staged. holiday movie fans, we want your vote. tell us what you think is the funniest holiday movie. we'll reveal the top picks later this month. >> the director of "harold and kumar 3" thinks he should win. he even tweeted about it last week. look at that. how about that? very cool. >> we got three extra votes. all right. you didn't get my "blame it on the rain" thing? >> i did. i was trying to recover from that horrible singing.

all right, coming up next, a possible new role for jennifer aniston, and this is not a tv or movie role. and what an angry judge wants to do with lindsay lohan. it's all next in "the skinny." inny."

♪ this story will not upset anybody. according to tmz, the l.a. city attorney is planning to file documents asking the judge to revoke lindsay lohan's probation and put her behind bars. prosecutors are now out for blood and they want her probation revoked because of criminal charges filed against her in santa monica stemming from her car accident. city attorneys don't need to do much. the judge can act on her authority alone. she's set to be arraigned today on three misdemeanor accounts including lying to the cops, obstruction and reckless driving. she could be locked up by the judge later today. no one shedding a tear. i can imagine. but hey, she did it to herself. can't sweat it. >> poor thing might do her some good.

so george w. bush, former president, now going to have a new title. grand daddy. his daughter jenna bush hager is expecting her first child. she's 31. her husband, henry, who is 34. they've been married four years. they live in manhattan. last month, she described herself as a home-sick texan living in new york. so he's very excited. and also, rumors that jennifer aniston is pregnant. she declined booze and sushi over the weekend, things you're supposed to stay away from while pregnant. >> it will be a beautiful kid if it's true. also, the j.r. ewing tv character, larry hagman, passed away over thanksgiving weekend. tnt was already in plans to bring back the show "dallas." apparently now they're going to have a funeral for the character on the show. a fitting send-off. >> and finally, the annual list

of the 99 most desirable list of women. jennifer lawrence jumping 46 spots. voters said she's more authentic. as for the top five, mila kunis, kate upton, rihanna, emma stone. your girl, kim k., dropping to 98, nearly out of the running. >> i demand a recount. >> you got that right. [ scratching ]

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♪ something happened today that won't happen again this century. we'll all be dead by then. it is 12-12-12, a triple crown of nifty numbers. >> this is certainly a day to remember for lots of reasons for lots of folks out there. we'll give you a rundown for what it means for some of those people.

but first, it is the day for what is being billed as the biggest event in music history. >> and the concert is called 12-12-12. should be national sound check day, but it takes place tonight at new york's madison square garden. on the bill, bruce springsteen, the who, paul mccartney, bon jovi, eric clapton, billy joel, your girl alicia keys is going to be there. chris martin, kanye west, and believe it or not, more. and it all goes to benefit survivors of hurricane sandy. >> cool day, great cause. nicely done. as with all magic numbers, brides and grooms like to get hitched. >> this is an easy way for the husband to remember the anniversary. an arizona couple is giving their whole wedding the theme of 12, inviting 12 guests to be there, tying the knot at 4:12. one of at least five couples getting married at the same place today. david's bridal estimates there are about 7,500 nuptials across

the country today. >> seems like the end of something and the start of something new for us in our new life. >> it sounds good. it just sounds good. it's something that i think will give us luck in our life. >> the biggest wedding plans in florida where couples can get married at 12:12 p.m. for $500. it's expected to break the record for most marriages in a single day. >> and there are thousands of kids who have a special day today when they turn 12. >> i didn't know you were going there. one of those is this boy. he lives in alabama, born on december 12 at 12:12 p.m. he turned 12 today. in lieu of a cake, he's asked for krispy kreme donuts arranged in the shape of 12. he thinks it's cool but he can only have 12 donuts, though. >> this won't happen again until january 1st, 2101, 88 years from now. kind of a cool day. we should do something special

to commemorate. >> what should we do to celebrate? >> 1/1/01. i think that's when my contract at abc is up. we'll see how it goes. we'll with be back. i think that's when my contract at abc is up. we'll see how it goes.

have a great day, everyone. this morning, terror at the mall. >> all of a sudden, a matter of five seconds later, we heard rapid fire. bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. >> gunfire shatters the festive mood at an oregon shopping mall. bullets flying. shoppers rushing for cover. new developments overnight. we're live in portland. north korea's message to the world. launching a rocket early this morning.